This inventive subject matter generally relates to gear arrangements for synchronization of multiple generators and more specifically to adjustable gear arrangements having a two-splined shaft and a helical gear for coarse and fine adjustments for synchronizing the drive shafts of multiple generators.
Engines having multiple, gearbox-mounted generators often require the generator drive gears in the gearbox to be phased to the generator rotor position for efficient delivery of generated power. The multiple generators are driven through a series of gears that allow increasing engine output speed to the necessary generator input speed. Each individual generator stator has to be in precisely the same position relative to its rotor as all the other generators. This requires all the gears in the drive train to be synchronized as well since they are connected to the generators.
Most of the gear arrangements and methods of synchronization of multiple drive shafts of the prior art require synchronization of the drive shafts during actual operation of the engine. This can be time consuming and difficult, especially when more than two rotating shafts are involved. For example, U.S. Pat. Nos. 3,939,723 and 4,207,815 describe a gear arrangement utilizing the relative axial position of helical gears to adjust relative circumferential position of two rotating shafts during operation of a motor. Neither gear arrangement from either patent allows for synchronization of the rotating shafts prior to engine operation, nor do they allow for synchronization of more than two rotating shafts.
As can be seen, there is a need for a gear arrangement that allows for synchronization of rotating drive shafts prior to engine operation, particularly during manufacture of the engine. There is also a need for a gear arrangement that allows for the synchronization of multiple drive shafts, particularly greater than two drive shafts, without requiring precision manufacturing of gear teeth elements relative to generator driveshaft splines.